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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Don't miss the opening of La Femme Fatale, my next show at SOMOS located in Salinas (my hometown!) This will be my first public art show in the town that i grew up, so i'm super excited that my friends and family finally get to see some of my artwork in person. There will be live music, snacks and a craft display too! If you'd like to check out the Event Page for more info you can go HERE.

I moved to Fresno from Salinas almost 6 years ago now. I never would have thought that it would be possible for me to show my work in a gallery or even have an art show of any kind! The Fresno art scene has been very encouraging and supportive of myself and my art. ArtHop is a wonderful thing for our community and I'm so thankful for that! However, I LOVE that Will Devoe has brought some modern art and culture to Salinas with his shop Somos Media.
Although my closest friends and family don't really understand my obssesion with art toys and lowbrow artists, I hope they will get a better understanding after coming to this show. I'm actually a little nervous too...who knows who will show up ♥ ♥ ♥

Thursday, January 13, 2011

One more chance to meet the artists at the closing reception for the LADIES FIRST art show at City Arts Gallery located on N. Van Ness in Fresno. (just north of Olive and Tower District) The show starts at 7pm and there will be more art, wine, plus it's on a friday night...put it on your calender!

Monday, January 10, 2011

so it's back to school today already. those 3 weeks over christmas time and new years sure do fly by. there was so much that i wanted to get done but didn't get the chance. tonight i have a math class and tomorrow is the first day back to screenprinting class. very excited about that one...that math on the otherhand *yuck*

at least i got to have a fun weekend before class starts up again. went to visit my parents and some friends in my hometown of Salinas and Santa Cruz. Friday night went to a Punk Rock themed art show at SOMOS. there was a band playing and artwork by the great, Jimbo Phillips...he's been creating artwork for 2 decades and has done everything from skateboard deck art to concert posters. i was too shy to introduce myself of course. i didn't even get any pics from the show cause i didn't want to flash my camera in the eyes of the band. Anyway, after purchasing a new addition to my Dunny collection...i was very happy to discover that it was one by Julie West (the FATALE series).

Andrea and I with our new Dunny's ;-) grabbing a drink at Chapala's after the show at SOMOS

I also got my hi-fructose collected edition vol-2 special edition book. The quality of the book is stellar. the pages are thick and the colors rich and beautiful. my only complaint is that my Audrey Kawasaki print looks like it had been folded horizontally and now has a big nasty crease from top to bottom. I'm debating whether to write the peeps at hi-fructose and let them know or not...i hate being a whiner...but that print is one of the reasons why i was so excited to get this book.

On another note...VERY happy to have discovered the work of a lady who is known as the mother of big eyed girls... Margaret Keane.

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My print of a painting by: Margaret Keane circa 1964

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I picked up this print at an antique flea market in downtown Santa Cruz over the weekend for $8. Now that i have done some research on her, i wish that i would have purchased more of them. I mean...holy macaroni...this lady was soooooo ahead of the times and what an amazing life she has had. her husband at the time was trying to take credit for all of the paintings that she had done. can you believe that??! she actually had to go to court and live paint in front of the judge to prove that she was the artist of all the paintings. when her (ex) husband was asked to create a painting he told the judge that he had injured his hand. What an A$$! So needless to say she won the trial...i even saw that there was going to be a movie made about her career called Big Eyes and Kate Hudson was cast to play her. I couldn't determine if this movie is just really hard to find or if it has not been made yet.
a big poster that was stuffed in the back of the booth at the flea market had caught my eye and i had to take a closer look. when i saw the date on it i was totally surprised! I thought for sure that it was the work of a modern artist...

A flyer promoting one of Margaret's art shows

painting by: Margaret Keane

painting by: Margaret Keane

On sunday, went frame hunting with mom in santa cruz. we went all over the place!! i have a very specific idea of what i want the frames to be like. it's okay for them to be different, i like an eclectic feel, but they must be ornate and mostly silver. i'm allowing a few gold one's because i they're are some paintings that will be better complimented by the gold. The search for frames continues...dun dun dun!!
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New Frames. 7 in all...yay!

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math class is in just a few hours...not looking forward to it...i'm already looking for excuses to ditch class on the first day...not a good sign. *sigh*

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

if you were wondering what this symbol means and why i use it alot in my art, here is the explanation you've been waiting for! (like you've really been dying to know :P ) it's an abstract version of an atom. the circles and dots floating around it are little particles waiting to be formed into an atom. my second love next to art is biology, and even though it's a much much more difficult subject for me in college, it's absolutely fascinating to learn the how's and why's about earth and it's inhabitants. I am a big believer in evolution and more of a mother nature worshiper rather than religious person. most of the female subjects in my paintings come from the idea of a mother nature type figure, and i've been drawing her since i was a kid...i should post one of those from back in the day...

a few samples of the atom symbol in my paintings

If you'd like to read a little bit about the Atomic Theory, i added an excerpt from an article on How Atoms Work...

*The idea of the atom was first devised by Democritus in 530 B.C. In 1808, an English school teacher and scientist named John Dalton proposed the modern atomic theory. Modern atomic theory simply states the following: *

Every element is made of atoms

All atoms of any element are the same

Atoms of different elements are different (size, properties)

Atoms of different elements can combine to form compounds

In chemical reactions, atoms are not made, destroyed, or changed

In any compound, the numbers and kinds of atoms remain the same

Can We See Atoms?

Atoms are so small that we cannot see them with our eyes (i.e., microscopic). To give you a feel for some sizes, these are approximate diameters of various atoms and particles:

atom = 1 x 10-10 meters

nucleus = 1 x 10-15 to 1 x 10 -14 meters

neutron or proton = 1 x 10-15 meters

electron - not known exactly, but thought to be on the order of 1 x 10-18 meters

Monday, January 3, 2011

and noooo way am i doing 111 girls in 2011. don't get me wrong it was fun, but also sooo stressful! Last years project 100 girls in 2010 was definately a huge personal accomplishment and success. some people say that it's not good to force one's creativity upon themselves. although, normally i would agree with that statement, in my case i felt that i needed to do something extreme in order to try new things and create a style which is recognizable as my own. there are a few of the pieces in the bunch that i sort of wish that i could replace. (they are not my favorites and i won't say which one's!) But, without them...would i have been able to create some of the ones that are my favorite? I'm not sure that I would have. I'm going to be working on creating a flyer that has all 100 girls on it. should be interesting to see them all together in one place. I'll put that up on facebook when it's done, i'm sure it will take some time to do all the cropping and size reductions. Over the weekend I started to frame some of the pieces...never thought i could get such a HIgh from framing my paintings. It's just amazing to see them all come together and i seriously can not wait for the show in June at Studio 74!

Here are some of my favorite personal art moments of the year....

having a show at The Saroyan Theatre during the Romeo & Juliette Symphony was a great experience. A very different crowd of people got to see my work.

Entered 4 pieces into the cARTalog contest at FCC, and 2 of my pieces won! 1st place and best of show. I won $75 bucks!

my paintings were on display at Urban Ornaments in Clovis for about 5 months. Thanks to them I sold several paintings and merchandise.

My painting "Tangled in the Mangroves" on the cover of The Undercurrent. Huuuuge honor and happy moment. Thank you Miss Kelly Hawthorne for bringing in the article that day to class, or else i might have never got the guts to submit to them.

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"Cecilia & The Centipede" painted for 31 girls in 31 days Poison theme. she was one of my breakthrough's with using mixed mediums. ink pen, acrylic, watercolor and gouache on tea-stained paper. I was learning the class/order/phylum of some animals in my biology class at the time too, so the centipede seemed appropriate. This was the first time that i did the detail in the hair, which i fell in love with and have used several times since.

The Without Color show @ Chris Sorensen's Gallery. This ended up being one of my favorite paintings of the year, and it's one of the biggest painting that i have ever sold. This show also reminds me that Payne's Grey has a blue tint to it, and I will never use it again for a without color show...lesson learned thank you :o)

I was soooo incredibly fortunate to have gone on a whirlwind vacation to Australia with my mom this year. What an amazing experience. Here is myself, Cousin Jane and mom Lynn in front of some art from locals in Melbourne. Also got the chance to go to the Tim Burton Exhibit and European Master Painters Exhibit. *thank you mom*

This years attempt at a self-portrait. I was feeling very torn at the time of painting this...torn between doing my homework and wanting to paint. I absolutely hated my Trig class and was failing it too. i worked on this before class a few times to calm my nerves. Math really irks me. yuck.

The month of October included several events involving The Pink Show. I was so honoured to have been asked by Cynthia Chapman to create the art for 2010's poster. It includes 5 women from all walks of life in front of the historic tower theatre. I'm glad that this was auctioned off to a lady who i know personally and she will take good care of it.

I was also honoured to be able to get the chance to paint my cousin Amanda, who is a cancer survivor. She lives in Cairns, Australia and it was great to meet her while i was there, she is such an inspiration...i swear that woman has more energy than i do! I will be mailing her this painting!

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Me with Josh Freeman and Linda Lloyd Pitts
Art shows galore at The Treasury! So much fun and really great to meet more local artists. I love to talk art! I look forward to more shows with them in the future...Thank you Toby!

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"Kindred" acrylic on canvas

another favorite of mine from 2010. I love it when a painting sits doomed and unfinished for months and months, then all of sudden gets chosen to be completed and the results are so pleasing to me. I also realized this year, that it's ok to not use 100% color color COLOR. just chill stephanie...use some greys and more black. it calms the soul a bit.

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"Dia De Los Muertos" show at City Arts Gallery. That show was sooo much fun. never been a part of show that had that much entertainment. loved every minute of it! (even being told that my painting cost too much by someone that didn't know i was the artist. hehe :o)

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"Woodland Girl" 3 color screenprint.

LOVED my printmaking class last semester so much that i'm taking screenprinting in the Spring. Printmaking is such a different approach to creating a piece...really made me think differently and i loved that.

"Miss Monster" Mixed Medium
I discovered that its "OK" for me to let a little of my dark side out after painting 2 zombie girls for the San Diego Undead show. Even if Mom's not too into them...hehe.

worked on this project throughout the year...very mentally draining, challenging, rewarding

2010 was a great year. obviously i love to paint otherwise why would i be doing it...but it's also so much more than that to me...it's the most rewarding thing in the world. starting with this blank piece of paper or canvas, totally BLANK...then spending days and days on the creation of this image that comes straight from my mind. it really is a blood, sweat and tears experience. sometimes, i throw my canvas across the room in frustration. (and then i apologize to it). I get really annoyed with myself when the painting isn't looking like the way i envision it. Then, I overcome it...and THAT is the moment that makes me feel like i'm floating on a cloud in happiness. Nothing else gives me that feeling, and i'm honestly addicted to it. If people like my art enough to come to my shows or even purchase a painting, then that is just so amazing to me. It allows me to be able to purchase more art supplies, and continue with my ultimate dream...(to be a full-time artist). Fresno has been so kind to me and I know it sounds cheesy but there are people that I want to thank for giving me a chance and making this year such an awesome learning experience - Sin Chapman (The Pink Show), Marty & Lupe Oftedal @ BeBeO's, Teresa & Barbara @ Urban Ornaments, Toby @ The Treasury, Joe Osejo @ City Arts Gallery, The Undercurrent, Iris Wasabi, Rick @ Gorgon Isle Gallery...there are probably much more that i am blanking on...but you know who you are!